County commissioners last week blamed their insurance agent, Ken Bassett, for keeping comprehensive and collision coverage on numerous older-model sheriff’s department vehicles, but Bassett said he did exactly what the county commissioners wanted.
Pointing to Presiding Commissioner Bill Ransdall, Bassett reminded the commissioners that he hadn’t been given adequate time to explain the insurance documents he presented in to the commissioners but had given everything in writing to them for review.
“That gentleman right there told me I had only 10 minutes and I said I didn’t think I had enough time,” Bassett said. “I wouldn’t dare  take coverage off the cars without a signed piece of paper telling me to.”
Bassett detailed items out of his meeting at the beginning of the year with the county commissioners and said the county’s current insurance coverage on vehicles has been in place at least since Tony Crismon was elected presiding commissioner in 2002.
“Maybe you don’t remember it, but that’s the way it works,” Bassett said. “It’s up to you if you want to take coverage off some of these cars, but you’ve got to tell me to do it, and you didn’t.”
Commissioner Dennis Thornsberry said he didn’t understand why some of the sheriff’s department cars were fitted with equipment such as radios and light-emitting diode light bars that are more expensive than the car to which they are mounted.
“A $1,500 light bar on a $2,000 car — that makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?” Thornsberry said.
Bassett said he understood the concern, but presented statistics indicating in recent years, Pulaski County had paid $6,935 of insurance premiums but received $10,359 in payments for totaled-out patrol cars following crashes.
“And we’ve gotten to keep the salvage on it, too,” Bassett said.
Keeping salvaged cars after they’ve been totaled benefits the county, Bassett said, because the chief deputy, Capt. Tom Cristoffer, is a skilled mechanic who can take usable parts off the wrecked cars and put them on other vehicles.
“I can remember at least two cars we totaled out and the insurance company let the sheriff’s department keep the salvage, so they got to keep the light bar,” Bassett said.
Bassett said the county’s difficult financial situation complicates insurance decisions, and noted that the sheriff’s department has had 10 vehicle crashes in the last seven years.
“I don’t disagree that we shouldn’t be carrying and paying $162 or $170 for comprehensive and collision on a $3,000 automobile,” Bassett said. “But where would we come up with $3,000 to replace one of these old junkers? I guarantee you the department will lose one a year.”
Bassett said the county currently has 11 sheriff’s department vehicles that are 2001 models or newer and 13 that are older.
“The chances are more than 50 percent that if (the sheriff’s department) had an accident, it’d be on a car 2000 or older, and we’ll total it out,” Bassett said.
After seeing that the county’s current insurance coverage had led to more receipts than payments from insurance, Thornsberry said the financial situation made more sense.
“It ain’t a bad deal, I agree,” Thornsberry said.
Thornsberry asked for detailed reports on the value of each of the cars being insured by the county; Bassett presented those numbers, but commissioners questioned whether some of the vehicles with a listed value of more than $10,000 were actually worth the listed amount.
Bassett said he didn’t know where the vehicle values came from, but said they didn’t come from his office.
“I’m sure Tom (Cristoffer) would know more about the mileage and value of these cars than anyone,” Bassett said.
Commissioner Bill Farnham agreed.
“When I talked to Tom, his main concern was the value of the equipment on it, not the cars,” Farnham said.
After verifying that Bassett’s insurance company wouldn’t pay more than the value of the vehicle plus additional equipment, Thornsberry asked that the vehicle values be reviewed and compared to the auto book values.
“We’re not going to overinsure a car that’s worth only $2,000,” Thornsberry said, noting that the light bars and radios would usually be salvageable.
Usually but not always, Bassett said.
“I think if you have a rollover collision, it would ruin one of those light bars,” Bassett said.
Ransdall, who had remained quiet for most of the meeting, asked for details on who pays for the insurance.
“Does all the insurance payment come out of our general revenue budget?” Ransdall asked.
Not necessarily. Thornsberry said the road and bridge department vehicle insurance is paid out of the road and bridge budget and County Clerk Diana Linnenbringer said the office of County Assessor Roger Harrison pays for vehicles out of his own budget.
“You know my likes for insurance … I just always said, somebody, take care of this,” Ransdall said.
Bassett said the “somebody” probably shouldn’t be him on determining vehicle values.
“I think it’s a good idea to visit with Tom (Cristoffer); I’ll go visit with him if you want, but it’s your job,” Bassett said.
Thornsberry said fixing the problem shouldn’t be that difficult once accurate values are determined for the sheriff’s department vehicles.
“We don’t want to overinsure them; we don’t want to underinsure them,” Thornsberry said. “We just want to insure them for what they’re worth.”